Strangler: Local transient Sergio Alvarez, 30, was arrested after witnesses say he strangled a brown pelican to death

A man who allegedly grabbed a pelican by its neck and strangled the bird with his bare hands caused a horrifying scene to beachgoers in California on Wednesday.

Flagged down by a witness, officers in a Los Angeles County sheriff's patrol car responded to the monstrous attack allegedly carried out by 30-year-old local transient Sergio Alvarez near the Malibu Pier.

'The pelican flapped its wings in distress until its body went limp and died,' the sheriff's report obtained byLA Weeklyread.

Alvarez allegedly then hid the bird's body after its death but it was recovered by police with the help of witnesses.

'He said he was hungry. And he found the bird dead and was going to eat it,' Sergeant Michael Holland told City News Service of the man’s reasoning.

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He was arrested and booked for investigation of felony animal cruelty. He remains in jail with bail set at $20,000.

Protected: The brown pelican is a full-protected species in California and removed from the endangered species list in 2009 (file photo)

Hungry man: Speaking with Alvarez who was captured near the Malibu Pier, pictured, he told police he was hungry and found the bird already dead

The body of the brown pelican, previously listed as an endangered species, was taken by representatives of the California Wildlife Center.

The birds are still fully-protected species in the state of California despite their removal from the endangered species list in 2009.

Speaking with LA Weekly, Fish and Game spokesman Esther Burkeet said her department has never heard of anyone killing one of the birds, though shared a more gruesome act previously suffered by them.

'The worst thing we ever saw in the past was people cutting off their beaks ... in the mid-90s or so,' she said. 'Some people thought it might be the fishermen who didn't like the pelicans hanging out near their vessels.'